Have you ever wondered what successful people like Benjamin Franklin, Tim Cook, Michelle Obama, and Richard Branson have in common? They wake up early. Waking up early gives you the opportunity to do things that matter to you before embracing the hustle and bustle of your daily grind. It’s when you gather your thoughts for the day, prioritize your tasks, and then physically and mentally condition yourself for the fun and challenges the day has to bring.
In this post, I’d like to show you how I wake up early and go about my morning, hoping to inspire you with some nuggets of wisdom and real-life takeaways that worked effectively for me, or if you like you can check out the video below.
The Secret to Motivating Yourself Early in the Morning
I, myself, am an early riser, and I’m happy that I’ve gotten into this habit. If you ask me what my morning routine looks like, it would be going to the gym first thing in the morning. Then I do my morning motivation, put on my pre-workout, and I take my vitamins. There’s usually some extensive warm-up before I push play or jump right into whatever my strength and conditioning is for that day.
Apart from my pre-workout routine before I head to the gym, I’ve also always made sure to listen to positive speaking on YouTube. I’d put on my Airpods and listen to some personal development talks or sometimes, it’s just a workout hype video. I think listening to these videos as I condition myself for a workout is essential in gearing up my mind and body for the day.
However, if there’s one thing these motivational talks do, it’s setting the right mood and attitude early in the morning. I know we’re all tired early and we’re all groggy when we wake up, but it’s one of the things you can do to work yourself into another state. For instance, Tony Robbins talks about how you can change your confidence and mental state by changing your physical state. I liked combining the two: playing something audio-wise plus starting my day with my workouts. It gets the endorphins running. I start having ideas, I get inspired, and that gets me rolling early.
Where the Shifts Happen
While I always wake up early now, it wasn’t always like that when I was younger. I think of myself as a monster night owl. I’m one of those people who just can’t get up that early. Well, I understand if you choose not to get up that early because I was the same way.
I was sleeping in and hitting snooze, and I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t productive. I wasn’t passionate about what I was doing and it takes some time for me to become a morning bird overnight. There are still mornings I don’t want to wake up, but the benefits outweigh the pain, and I think that’s where the shift happens.
Then you begin to realize that this just a temporary inconvenience, and it’s worth it because I’ve done it enough times. I’ve tested it and seen the long-term results. So, as a continuation of the morning routine, this morning when I first woke up, I just pop on YouTube. We’re on YouTube and if you’ll notice you can see a lot of what I listen to.
I would recommend that you listen to motivational videos on YouTube first thing in the morning as well. I listen to these things often every morning, to people like Tony Robbins, the Rock, Jim Rohn, Eric Thomas, Gary Vaynerchuk, etc. So, I’ll pop one of these things on and then when I’m barely woken up, I’d go to the bathroom and I realized that there was a hidden 15 to 20 minutes in the morning. Most of us just sit around feeling groggy or turn on the news, and that’s when your brain is so primed to be ready. You are programmed for that day.
I believe that programming your mornings is the secret to getting things done. You attack your mind before your mind attacks you. So, I do that, I move a little bit, I get the pre-workout in, and then it’s time for a workout. Post-workout, I would always have some coffee and my journal.
The Power of Our Thoughts
One of my favorite audios is by Earl Nightingale and it’s called “The Strangest Secret.” He talks about basically how our thoughts determine who we are and how we define ourselves. In the second half of the audio, he has the 30-day note card challenge. He asks you to write a very specific worthwhile goal and to carry this notecard around with you and look at it. Mine has about three on it and I keep one of these in the journal and one on the dash of my car. I keep them by my bed and I keep one on my mirror when I’m getting ready and one in the kitchen too where I make my shakes.
Each card all says the same thing. It’s just a reminder even if I don’t physically look at it. What I do next is I read my card and I take my journal out and I number it from 1 to 10. I don’t look at the days, and so the 1 to 10 can be a mix of things. Number one can be from a few days ago when was I enthusiastically finding out ways to get out of my comfort zone. Number two is nothing and no one limits me.
Nothing’s Going to Stop You, Except You
This brings me to my next point: the only thing stopping me from doing, having, or being what I want, is me. However, there are also specific things. Maybe there are some financial goals, or how many YouTube subscribers I want to get. Maybe one day I’d like to own a vacation home in New York City, or things like that. Everyday it changes a little bit, but it starts with gratitude, goals, and just letting myself daydream.
By letting myself daydream, I listen to my stream of consciousness and write until I’m done. Some days it’s a page, but it’s always at least a page. Other days it’s two or three, and then I just let it flow. I don’t judge it. Sometimes you really surprise yourself on the things that you talk about.
So that really is my morning routine and a little bit of reading. Right now, I’m reading “Rules for a Knight.” It’s a personal development book. Sometimes I read books about business training or leadership, or all of that together primes me for my day. I literally do it every day – weekdays and weekends. It sets me up for success.
Do what works for you
You don’t even have to take all of this. Take one piece of this and apply it, and hopefully, it helps you start your day as well. If this has been helpful to you, I’m going to ask you to subscribe and leave a comment. Let me know which piece of this you’re putting into your day and why it’s helpful. My name is Coach Jimmy and ‘till next time. Keep performing higher.